By Shim Jae-yun
Staff Reporter

The pro-government Uri Party has seen a reduction in its approval rating but is still holding the lead in a two-way race with the opposition Grand National Party (GNP), according to various pollsters. However, the outcome of Thursday’s general elections is still regarded as a toss-up, depending largely on voter turnout.

The GNP is expected to garner their target of 100 seats, boosted by a last-minute sprint that has narrowed the gap with the rival Uri Party.

But experts are skeptical of the GNP achieving victory unless young voters in their 20s and 30s, who tend to opt for the progressive party, remain away from the polls.

They said the Uri Party will fare well should the voter turnout exceed 65 percent and GNP will get the advantage if it is lower.

According to a survey conducted by the National Election Commission (NEC), 77.2 percent of eligible voters say they will vote without fail.

The two parties remain locked in a neck-and-neck competition in about 35 electoral battlefields across the nation.

The GNP has been targeting 100 seats, a Maginot line that would prevent the Uri Party from getting the two-thirds majority needed to change the Constitution.

The conservative party has been elated due to the continued rise in its approval rating, apparently thanks to the appointment of Park Geun-hye as its new leader.

Further, Uri Party chairman Chung Dong-young’s remark disparaging senior citizens has helped the GNP to pick up steam even though it lagged far behind the Uri Party in the initial stages of the campaign.

The Uri Party expects to win about 130 seats. ``We are likely to secure 130 to 140 seats,’’ said Min Byung-doo, a key campaigner said.

The Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) and the Democratic Labor Party (DLP) are aiming to secure seats enough to form negotiating groups within the National Assembly.

jayshim@koreatimes.co.kr